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Video: Volkswagen Reveals 'Fun Theory' Winning Entry, 'Speed Camera Lottery'

Gotta love this: A VW contest in Sweden was designed to enable consumers to submit ideas for keeping drivers happy.

The winning entry in the "Fun Theory" contest: "Speed Camera Lottery," which takes the idea of tickets and fines for speeding, and reverses it by rewarding drivers for good behavior with entry into a lottery.

Paid for by speeding fines, natch.

Read more, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... Witty, Insightful, Dynamic and Highly Inspiring  ..."

 “THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”

    - Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms

HBO


>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

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Why Geolocation Is Not Where It's At

It turns out I'm not alone in the wilderness, preaching against location-awareness for mobile advertising. 

AD AGE has a piece today from Dave Curry, interactive director of digital agency POP, who points to some of the several pitfalls I've talked about over the last few years. My beef has largely been about drowning in location-based offers, but as Curry also points out, it's also about drowning in an exorbitant number of apps, many of which are increasingly cross referencing even more apps.

I'll say it again: The minute, the moment, the nano-second you or I are walking down the street and get pinged by 30 different companies with 30 different offers based on where we might be standing at any point in time, and it's all going to get very old, very fast.

But there are location-based models that will work, and work well. As I explained at the iMedia Breakthrough Summit last week (and in my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, which comes out April 28), a model like this will delight consumers.

Say you walk into the Gap (or any store). You turn on an app and instantly receive updates and offers based on your stated preference or past purchase history. If you like, you can shoot that information to a handset in the store clerk's hands so they can better serve you.

You might get an offer like "Hello, Mr. Mathieson. If you liked those jeans you bought last month, you're going to love these shirts" - complete with an image and a map to where the product can be found in the store.

Wave the phone over the 2d barcode to access shopper reviews and, when you go into the dressing room, snap a photo of yourself wearing the garment in the mirror to instantly transmit it to your desired soc-nets for instant, real-time feedback.

Should you like the shirt and the feedback you get, you simply walk out the door. A new fangled theft detection device is disabled, and the transaction happens instantly thanks the credit card you've entered on the web interface for the app. You never dig for cash, swipe a card, write a check - or stand in line.

This model puts the consumer in control of the engagement, and uses location as a value. And it's coming faster than you think. 

Read more, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... Witty, Insightful, Dynamic and Highly Inspiring  ..."

 “THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”

    - Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms

HBO


>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

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At Facebook, "Fan" Out; "Like" In: What It Means For Brands

 In Facebook's own vernacular, "it's complicated."

Turns out, Facebook is phasing out "Become a Fan" and replacing it with a "Like" button. 

Is this a good thing? Probably in terms of quantity - in all likelihood, people will be more likely to say the "like" something than they are to commit to stating they're "fans."

But that does present some problems. Already, you can buy fans by placing ads on popular games like FarmVille, devaluing fans along the way. As quantity increases, will quality of engagement and commitment suffer?

Time will tell if "Like" means for consumer "Face" time, or less.

Read more, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... Witty, Insightful, Dynamic and Highly Inspiring  ..."

 “THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”

    - Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms

HBO

 

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

 

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5 Gum Chews Your Facebook Photos For A Stimulating, 3D Interactive Experience You Can Share With Friends

5 wants to stimulate your senses.

Now, it's out with two new favors - REACT Mint and REACT Fruit - and a new site, called 5REACT.com, through which consumers can create personalized, interactive 3D experiences that they can share with friends.

Using Facebook Connect technology, the site pulls in fans' photos, allowing them to create a personalized, digital animation by customizing colors, shapes, textures and more. Along the way, consumers can opt in to receive one of 100,000 exclusive samples of the new flavors (while supplies last) and a special pair of 3D glasses to help them create their experiences.

"5 gum has a history of pushing conventional boundaries and behavior and we are always looking for relevant, fresh ways to engage with 5 gum fans who are actively seeking new and unique experiences," Paul Chibe, Wrigley's Vice President U.S. Gum & Mints, says in a statement. "We believe 5REACT.com delivers an innovative experience that today's smart, tech-savvy fans can believe in and will enjoy enough to pass-along and share with their social networks."

Just judging from the example shown here, it kinda makes you wonder what's inside this gum - and where can I get some, fast? Opiates aside, the gum brand might be onto something - if they can up the amount of this experience that's really tied to personal photos (it seems light in that regard, actually). 

Also makes you wonder if you're going to have the munchies afterward.

Read more, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... Witty, Insightful, Dynamic and Highly Inspiring  ..."

 “THE ON-DEMAND BRAND is witty, insightful, dynamic, and highly inspiring. This book should be required reading for marketers—or anyone trying to understand how to keep their brand relevant and energized through the rapidly changing consumer landscape. Mathieson has a gifted ability to dig under the breakthrough ideas that are keeping top brands engaged with their current and new consumers, offering key insider takeaways that we all can learn from.”

    - Alison Moore, Vice President, Brand Strategy & Digital Platforms

HBO


>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

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'How to Train Your Dragon' Lets You Scorch Your Favorite Websites

DreamWorks' new 3D adventure is getting great reviews - and some digital marketing backup.

Flame rickm site There's the How To Train Your Dragon site, which includes a feature that lets you flame a friend on Facebook, or one of your favorite websites - essentially destroying it with dragon fire (shown here's what happens when I trying to select "about" on my own site).

 There's also a Facebook fan page, of course, and a mobile game for iPhone and Pre, whereby characters from the movie take on myriad challenges.

Something tells me this movie - which is getting remarkable 95% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes - would have done just fine without all this digital marketing.

But it will certainly help fuel more fandemonium once after the first fans see the film - and want to help spread the fun to family and friends.

In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I look at how popular TV and film properties use digital to build awareness and demand by tapping the most measurable, personal and direct links to consumers ever created.

You'll want to read more about that here.

Before or after you head off to see How to Train Your Dragon.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... EXCELLENT  ..."

 “Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.” – Publishers Weekly

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

 

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Visit Mootopia, Where Milk's So Good, It Has Unintended Consequences

Hair so shiny, it blinds those around you. Maidens sipping from lakes of milk, and taking baths under flowing water, er, milkfalls. Everyone's muscles so strong, arm wrestling settles nothing.

It's all part of VisitMootopia, a new site that's part of the massive new integrated campaign from Goodby that communicates the health benefits of milk in a playful, decidedly non-didactic way.

The site features one of the spots today, teasing that all will be revealed on April 5. 

Overall, there's very weak linkage to the legacy "Got Milk" campaign, other than the closing moments of this spot. But that campaign is over 20 years old, and, like the rock band "White Gold" effort from a few years ago, this new campaign seeks to bring new relevance to the table.

Is the glass half empty or half full? For my milk's worth, I'm not betting against Goodby.

We'll find out for sure on April 5.

Read more, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... EXCELLENT  ..."

 “Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.” – Publishers Weekly

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

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The Shoe Fits: Keds 'Original Sneaker,' 'Collective' Sites Supercharge Customization

 In my new book, THE ON-DEMAND BRAND, I playfully point to Burger King as the original on-demand brand, with its 70's era "have it your way" nod to mass customization, the ability to customize any order, on demand.

An idea, by the way, that the brand has lived up to with its customizable website, where you can dial up the kind of content you want, and dial back the kind you don't.

Now, another age-old brand is rising to the challenge. Keds - the original sneaker - has two new sites that enable Keds fans to share what inspires them, and even upload original artwork to be custom made into shoes.

At theoriginalsneaker.com, a style guide lets users upload images of original styles to wear with Keds, or peruse style boards, to find new looks. The site even enables users to share elements of history, sports, politics and popular culture that inspire them, via Twitter.

But all of this pales in comparison to kedscollective.com, where users can upload original art to be applied to their own customized pair of shoes that they can buy, or even earn money when others place purchases. Not sure why these aren't part of the same site, but that's a small matter.

In addition to being an on-demand service, this concept lives up to what I call the urgency to Accentuate the P-O-S-itive - making things and experiences:

• Personalizable

• Ownable

• Sharable

Kudos to Keds for becoming an embodiment of the On-Demand Brand.

Read more about the book, here.

And read more about Keds' initiatives, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... EXCELLENT  ..."

 “Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.” – Publishers Weekly

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

 

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Wall Street Journal iPad Edition To Cost $17.99 Per Month

Wall street journal ipad edition That new iPad edition of the Wall Street Journal will set you back $17.99 per month, which is only help feed all the hype around what the iPad means to publishers.

One small problem: That's twice the price of the online edition of the Journal, which you can also access on the iPad. 

Ditto for so many other pubs that are rushing to produce iPad native versions of their print editions

Kind of makes you wonder why they haven't been charging for the old-school Internet versions all this time.

Stupid Internet browser....

Read more, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... EXCELLENT  ..."

 “Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.” – Publishers Weekly

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

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'Pandorarama:' Place Real-Time Video of Yourself Within World of 'Avatar'

 The site promoting the DVD release called "Return to Pandora," includes a webcam-enabled video experience called "Pandorama" where you can place yourself on Pandora, the planet featured in "Avatar."

I wonder what Glenn Beck will say about that.

(See my iMedia Connection post about the Cameron/Beck imbroglio.)

Then take a flight to Pandora, here.

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... EXCELLENT  ..."

 “Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.” – Publishers Weekly

 

 

 

 

 

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

 

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Video: Social Media = Nerds In SXSW 2010 Spoof

Enjoyed this spoof of SXSW, which opens with an hilarious take on ChatRoulette.

Favorite line: "Social media isn't about media at all, it's about people. And the people who care about it are nerds."

Just a nice way of reminding us all that we can take this all way too seriously sometimes.

Enjoy.

(By way of Mediabistro)

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LAUNCHES APRIL 28 - PRE-ORDER YOUR COPY NOW:

OD_cover "... EXCELLENT  ..."

 “Through persuasive arguments and Q&A’s with the major players in advertising, Mathieson makes an excellent case for greater creativity and outside-the-box thinking backed up with solid ideas.” – Publishers Weekly

>>> IN STORES APRIL 28 - READ MORE HERE <<<

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